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Making an eBook, Part 2: Marketing

Do's and don'ts for developing an effective eBook marketing strategy

Like everything else in the brave new world of Web-based-life, the success of your eBook mostly depends on you. You've got to put yourself out there -- on social networks, blogs, Twitter, your own website, email, even snail-mail -- and make sure people know that your book exists and they should read it. The days of in-house publicists doing all the marketing are over, even for the big trade publishers, who have come to count on their authors for lots of the marketing muscle. And if it works for them, it could work even better for you, because, unlike a traditional publisher, your eBook is your top, and only, priority when it comes to marketing.

To give you a taste of what eBook self-promotion looks like, first I'm going to show you what I'm doing to promote my own eBook, then I'll share some information gleaned from the big eBook social networks and authors who've had success with their eBook marketing strategies.

Rule number one: Don't be shy. Maybe you're not the kind of person who likes to toot his or her own horn, but this is the time to put your modesty aside and tell the world how awesome you and your book are. Though there are good and bad ways to do that: nobody wants to see you brag all day long. The social Web is all about sharing information and excitement, so the key is to market your eBook in the spirit of community and generosity. You've got to find influential bloggers, Twitterers, and other kinds of information-sharers. Gently scratch their backs and hopefully they'll scratch yours. So, here we go....

The How to Pitch series is worth its weight in gold. In just the first month I'd already benefited enough to consider the cost of joining well worth it. -- Gaen Murphree